Towson?s players knew what was at stake.
But instead of finding a way to salvage their season as they did a week ago, they watched a once-promising year sink deeper into despair. The Tigers exited Unitas Stadium with their heads bowed following a 10-9 loss to 10th-ranked Drexel in a game Towson had to win.
“This is one of the most disheartening losses I ever had,” junior midfielder Mitchell Rosensweig said. “I felt we did a lot of things really good today. But we are playing a lot better than in the beginning of the season.”
The Dragons (10-3, 3-1) held off a furious Towson rally during the final 16 minutes to put the Tigers in a must-win situation on Friday night at Villanova to secure a berth in the four-team CAA Tournament.
The Tigers started the season 2-6, but won consecutive league games entering the matchup with Drexel and were poised to make a run to the top of the conference. Towson (4-7, 3-2), which trailed Delaware last week, 6-3, at halftime before rallying for a 10-7 win, also trailed by the same score at intermission against the Dragons.
But Drexel started fast in the third quarter and extended its lead to 10-6. The Tigers, however, got a goal from senior midfielder Brian Vetter with 37 seconds left in the third quarter to trim the deficit to three.
Two more goals in the fourth quarter cut the deficit to one, but the Tigers had more turnovers than shots ? 2-to-1 ? in the final five minutes, sealing their fate.
“We had a shot at the end, but we didn?t execute,” senior attacker Jonathan Engelke said. “We fought back but if you don?t start off good it?s hard to come back inthe game.”
Engelke was the lone bright spot for the Tigers, as he finished with three goals and an assist. But goaltending was again an issue for the Tigers, as senior Billy Sadtler and Matt Antol both saw time between the pipes. Sadtler appeared to gain the job full-time last week with a solid performance against Delaware, but had just five saves and yielded 10 goals in a little more than 54 minutes and was relieved by the more athletic Antol.
Seaman said he?ll name a starter against Villanova later this week.
The top four teams in the league qualify for the CAA Tournament, in which the winner earns an automatic bid to the 16-team NCAA Tournament. Twentieth-ranked Hofstra (6-4, 4-1) and Drexel are atop the conference standings, with Towson, Delaware (8-5, 2-2) and Villanova (4-8, 2-2) battling for the final two spots.
“There?s always pressure, every game,” Seaman said. “The kids know that. Now Drexel is a shoe-in for the tournament and we have to win Friday night.”
